My trip to New Zealand went very smoothly. Mengel drove me to Minneapolis, then I flew to Los Angeles, Auckland, and finally Christchurch. Qantas Airlines is amazing. Each seat has its own screen where you can watch movies, CD's, news, tv shows, games, a destination guide, and a place where you can monitor the plane's progress and speed. We got headphones, a blanket, pillow, booties, eye mask, toothbrush/toothpaste, a hot meal, snacks, and even hot towels! On Northwest-no pillow, no blanket, but we could buy a sandwich or salad for $8.00.

A message cancelling my city tour was waiting for me in the Christchurch hotel lobby. No worries. That gave me an afternoon to explore the city on my own. I think there are only a handful of Christchurch residents and the remaining million people are tourists. Lots of souvenir shops. The city has an English feel to it and it is nicknamed the City of Gardens.

The next morning I was in the lobby bright and early expecting to be picked up for my Alpine safari. Eventually the concierge noticed that others were coming and going...but I was just sitting. He asked me if everything was okay, and when I expressed my doubts, he called the safari people--who had already left because they didn't even have me down on the list. No worries. Mik, the super concierge, made some calls, consulted me about my preferences and scheduled an excellent day for me.

I spent the morning at Thrillseekers Canyon! I drove a 4 wheel Quad bike through the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. We went through creeks, rocks, and MUD! I loved it! See those rocks in the background? You don't bother going around them...you just go over them!









Thank goodness for the jumpsuits and mud boots!















In the afternoon I went to relax the the Hanmer Springs thermal pools. They have 9 open air thermal pools, 3 sulphur pools, and a regular pool with slides and stuff for kids. It was very soothing.

I leave the small, comfortable village of Athens for New Zealand tomorrow. The top picture introduces our community Old Timers Band. The volunteer members range from high schoolers to 70-somethings. In the second picture, you can see my friend Ginnie as she listens to a polka during their regular Friday night summer concerts. The last picture shows the gazebo in our village square during the day.

I'm very excited about the trip, but somewhat nervous about making all of the connections.

Jakki, my New Zealand host, has emailed that the weather has been very rainy and windy lately. Her husband Peter has made several fire/emergency runs the last couple of days. I'm sure the sun will shine once I get there.

A Blog Is Born

For one week this summer I will be working in Ngunguru School in New Zealand. During that week, I will be staying in the home of the school's Junior Associate Principal and K3 Teacher. Prior to the school experience I'll visit Australia, and following the school visit I get to travel through parts of New Zealand. I'm writing this to document the highlights of my trip for myself, but you are welcome to come along....

Cindy, Mengel, and Brutus